It seems Carl Edwards has been a naughty boy. His on-track shenanigans with Brad Keselowski have led to serious off-track debate, with many fans feeling he should be punished by officials. A few years ago this may also have been the case but whilst talk will have gone on outside the Atlanta Motor Speedway about the action it would likely have been forgotten come Monday morning; that’s now no longer an option.
Facebook, Twitter and blogs (alongside Google who recently started including each of these in search results) mean that opinions can be spread like wild-fire, they gather support, they may become large enough to be of interest to the sports press and suddenly the opinions are being broadcast, gathering strength and forcing the hands of the decision-makers. Sweeping incidents under the carpet and moving on is no longer an option…
Don’t get me wrong I think it’s great every now has a chance to be heard but have they reached the ears of officials and will the public pressure force them into a decision that at one point would not have been made.
I think in future we’re going to see decisions in motorsport having to be backed up by clear arguments, thought processes and rules – whether the decision goes the way the public majority want or not. Will this in turn force drivers and teams to be more conservative and will the sports we love then lose some of their appeal? Or transparency always the best option? Are fans more bothered with the eventual outcome than by how the decision was made?
One more question, given that NASCAR and other motorsports are ‘driven’ (couldn’t resist!) by sponsors do the teams and officials have an obligation to consider the fans reaction when making decisions? Should the public have a voice at the table?
As always let me know your thoughts!
Filed under: NASCAR
